Snowflake Kisses
by soccerbabe12689
Summary: 7th year. Hermione and Draco are heads and both stay for winter holidays. Romance blossums. How will Harry and Ron take it? read and review
1. Default Chapter

Snowflake Kisses  
  
Chapter 1: An exciting year  
  
"Joy. A whole two weeks alone at Hogwarts. Why me?" Seventeen-year- old Hermione Lynn Granger asked herself, reading the letter her owl had brought to her moments before. Frustrated, she crumpled up the letter into a ball and threw it across the room, hitting her new cat, Skye, in the head. The cat looked up at her before retreating under her bed, leaving Hermione to her thoughts once again.  
"Granger?" came a cold voice from the other side of her closed door.  
"What do you want Malfoy?" she answered back, keeping her tone the same as his, but her face showed her true emotions.  
"The Head meeting is in five minutes and, being the heads and all, we kinda have to go, so get your bloody arse off that bed and get moving!" responded seventeen year old Draco Malfoy, walking into her room.  
He changed so much this summer, Hermione couldn't help but think to herself. Draco had certainly gone through many changes throughout the summer. His platinum-blonde hair was no longer gelled back but fell in his face (only occasionally did he gel it back), his grey eyes still cold as ever, but sometimes she thought she saw sadness and sorrow in them, he had grown to be a good 6'2" and quidditch had done him well. His body was well- toned, but he wasn't so muscular that he was repulsive. Yes the summer had brought much change to Malfoy.  
"Ok, ok. Keep your pants on Malfoy.please," replied Hermione, getting off of her bed to find her shoes, as Malfoy eyed her and the improvements in her.  
She's bloody gorgeous, even for a mudblood, he thought to himself, looking her up and down. Her once bushy brown hair was no longer bushy but fell in gentle curls down to mid-back, her chocolate eyes are now a honey color and she had curves in all the right places. The summer break treated her well.  
"I always knew you wanted to get in my pants, Granger," he commented after her last statement, showing his familiar smirk.  
"Fuck off Malfoy," she retaliated, throwing on her shoes and leaving the room with him behind her.  
I'd much rather fuck you, he thought to himself, get a hold of yourself Draco, this is the mudblood Granger you're thinking about.  
With her in the lead and him following, they got to the Head's meeting, ten minutes late.  
"Sorry professor, I couldn't find my shoes," apologized Hermione, taking a seat on one of the couches in the Prefect's common room. Draco sat beside her and the meeting continued.  
"This year, the heads and prefects, as you can see, are Justin Finch- Fletchly of Hufflepuff, Parvati Patil from Ravenclaw, Ginny Weasley and Hermione Granger from Gryffindor, and Blaise Zambini and Draco Malfoy from Slytherin. Along with your studies and your duties, its up to you six to plan all of the balls this year. So far, we have three planned: the Halloween Ball on Halloween, the Yule Ball on December 23, and the Sweetheart's Ball on Valentine's day. You have to plan everything for these balls, ok? Good, now that's all for this meeting. Go back to your rooms and get some rest. Goodnight," explained Professor Dumbledore, finishing his speech and leaving the Prefect's common room.  
Silence filled the room until finally Hermione spoke, "this is going to be an exciting year I can tell." Everyone nodded in agreement before leaving the room.  
  
A/N: Ok.one chapter down. How is it so far? 


	2. Halloween Ball

Chapter 2: Halloween Ball  
  
Disclaimer: I only own the plot. The rest goes to J.K. Rowling and her brilliance.  
  
The months passed by quickly and pretty soon it was time for the Halloween Ball. Dumbledore had told them that Heads and Prefects had to go together, meaning Hermione was stuck at every ball with Draco. Hermione had gone shopping for dress robes weeks before with Ginny Weasley, one of her better friends. Ginny was going to come to the Head's dorms three hours before the ball to help Hermione get ready.  
  
The day of the ball, Hermione spent hours in her room, relaxing, reading, and dreading going to the ball with Malfoy. He was too good for her, or so she thought. He's a pureblood, it's a disgrace for him to go to the ball with a mudblood like me, thought Hermione nervously.  
  
"Herms?" called Ginny from the other side of Hermione's door, "You in there?"  
  
"Yeah, c'mon in Ginny," replied Hermione, holding open the door for Ginny, who was carrying all her makeup and hair supplies.  
  
"Herms, have you showered yet?" asked Ginny, setting the stuff down on Hermione's bed, and inspecting her friend.  
  
"No, I was gunna go do that now, if that's ok with you," replied Hermione, taking her shower stuff out of her room and heading to the bathroom that connected her room to Malfoy's.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, she emerged clad in her robe and slippers, her hair wet and her body smelling like strawberries. She walked into her room and saw Ginny finishing up her makeup, her red hair curled, falling down her back. Her maroon robes complimenting her hair and eyes.  
  
"Gin, you look great. Oh and I'm ready for your work," stated Hermione, sitting down in her desk chair so Ginny could begin her work.  
  
While Hermione and Ginny were working on Hermione's hair and makeup, Draco was showering and getting dressed in his black dress robes. He gelled his hair back, due to the occasion, and went into the common room to wait for Hermione. It was quarter til 7 and he was to meet her in the common room ten minutes before the ball.  
  
*Upstairs*  
"Wow! Herms, you look great!" said Ginny, admiring her handiwork on Hermione.  
  
"Thanks Gin. Well I guess it's time to meet Draco in the common room. I'll see you at the ball, ok?" replied Hermione, looking in the mirror once more before leaving her room and starting down the stairs to the common room.  
  
When he heard her start down the stairs, Draco got off the couch and turned to see an angel descending the stairs. At least that's what she looked like to him. Hermione's robes of a periwinkle blue complimented her eyes. Her hair was up in a twisty bun with a few tendrils outlining her face. Her makeup was done so discreetly and well that it looked like she didn't have any on. The sight of her made Draco's heart leap.  
  
"You look nice, Granger," he said, handing her a white rose.  
"Thanks, Malfoy, you look good too," she replied, taking the rose and looping her arm into his before starting out of the common room and to the great hall for the feast and the ball.  
  
When the feast ended, the ball began with one of Dumbledore's announcements.  
"I'd like to welcome you all to the Halloween ball. As a new tradition, the head boy and head girl must open and close the dance. Hermione, Draco, please make your way to the dance floor to open this year's Halloween ball."  
  
Hermione and Draco made their way to the dance floor slowly, drawing the attention of all the Slytherins and Gryffindors in the room. Draco wrapped his arms around her waist and Hermione draped hers casually on his shoulders. They slowly began to sway to the slow song that the dj put on for them.  
  
Yeah....  
  
Oh yes  
  
Ohhh..yeah..  
Can this be true?  
  
Tell me, can this be real?  
  
How can I put into words what I feel?  
  
My life was complete  
  
I thought I was whole  
  
Why do I feel like I'm losing control?  
  
I never thought that love could feel like this  
  
and you've changed my world with just one kiss.  
  
How can it be that right here with me  
  
there's an angel?  
  
It's a miracle...  
Your love is like a river  
  
Peaceful and deep  
  
Your soul is like a secret  
  
That I could never keep  
  
When I look into your eyes  
  
I know that it's true  
  
God must of spent...  
  
A little more time  
  
On you...  
  
(A little more time, yes he did baby)  
In all of creation  
  
All things great and small  
  
You are the one that surpasses them all  
  
More precious than  
  
Any diamond or pearl  
  
They broke the mold  
  
When you came in this world  
  
And I'm trying hard to figure out  
  
Just how I ever did without  
  
The warmth of your smile  
  
The heart of a child  
  
That's deep inside  
  
Leaves me purified  
Your love is like a river  
  
Peaceful and deep (and deep)  
  
Your soul is like a secret  
  
That I could never keep  
  
When I look into your eyes  
  
I know that it's true  
  
God must of spent...  
  
A little more time  
  
On you...  
  
(on you, on you, on you, you....on you, on you, on you, you..) ohhh...  
  
(on you, on you, on you, you....on you, on you, on you, you..) yeah...  
  
Never thought that love could feel like this  
  
and you changed my world with just one kiss.  
  
How can it be that right here with me  
  
There's an angel?  
  
It's a miracle...  
Your love is like a river  
  
Peaceful and deep (peaceful and deep)  
  
Your soul is like a secret  
  
That I could never keep  
  
When I look into your eyes  
  
I know that it's true  
  
God must of spent...  
  
A little more time  
  
On you...  
  
(on you, on you, on you, you..)  
  
God must of spent...  
  
A little more time  
  
on you  
  
(on you, on you..you....you..oooh..yeah)  
  
A little more time  
  
on you...ohhh  
Draco listened to the words throughout the song and as it ended, he whispered to Hermione, "Hermione, I've liked you since fourth year. I know I've been mean to you all these years, but it was only to keep up my reputation. With my dad in Azkaban, I don't care anymore. Will you be my girlfriend?"  
"Draco, I'd love to be your girlfriend. I've liked you for a long time too," replied Hermione, giving him a kiss on the cheek and resting her head on his shoulder before resuming their dancing. The next couple of songs were slow ones, so Hermione and Draco continued dancing together.  
The rest of the night passed in a blur for Herms and Draco. They danced all slow songs together, except for the two that Hermione saved for Harry and Ron, who had no idea she was Malfoy's girlfriend.  
  
A/N: Chapter 2 done. I promise I'll bring Ron and Harry into this soon. And the winter holidays will be soon too. R/R 


	3. Telling Harry and Ron

Chapter 3: Telling Harry and Ron  
  
It's about a week after the ball and Hermione had yet to tell Ron and Harry about her relationship with Draco. To be honest, she was putting it off. She didn't want them to find out and then proceed to hex Draco. She needed a chance to talk to them and tell them slowly.  
  
One day, on her way to double Potions, Hermione got her chance. Harry and Ron were walking with her to class and were, surprisingly, quiet. Wow, what happened to them? Hermione thought to herself.  
  
"Hey, Mione?" started Harry, stopping where he was.  
  
"Yes Harry?" replied Hermione, continuing to walk to the dungeons for Potions.  
  
"Mione, are you ok? You haven't been spending as much time with us anymore. In fact, since the ball, we've barely seen you at all. And you're always with Malfoy. Is something wrong Hermione? Did we do something?" asked Harry, catching up to her and grabbing her arm for her to stop.  
  
"I'm fine," she lied, but, getting a look from Harry, she sighed, "Ok, ok, there's something I have to tell you guys but you have to promise not to be mad, ok?"  
  
They nodded and she continued, "Last week at the ball, a guy told me that he liked me and asked me to be his girlfriend. I kind of said yes."  
  
Ron spoke up, "Who was this guy, Mione?"  
  
"Malfoy," she replied, looking at the ground.  
  
Ron exploded, "MALFOY? MALFOY? WHY IN BLOODY HELL WOULD YOU WANNA BE THE GIRLFRIEND OF MALFOY? HERMIONE HE'S CALLED YOU NAMES AND TORTURED YOU FOR YEARS AND SUDDENLY YOU DECIDE TO BE HIS GIRLFRIEND? WHAT IN BLOODY HELL IS WORNG WITH YOU?"  
  
As Ron was ranting, Hermione had begun to cry. Seeing this, Harry said, "Ron, calm down. It was her decision. If he hurts her then it's her fault for being his girlfriend in the first place. We have to respect her decision and be happy for her, ok?"  
  
Ron sighed, his face returning to normal color, "I guess you're right Harry. Mione, I'm sorry. I don't like Malfoy, but if your happy I guess I can deal with that."  
  
Smiling Hermione hugged and thanked them before continuing to walk to Potions. When they entered the room, she went and gave Draco a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before sitting next to Lavender at a table. Seeing her actions, the Slytherins all sneered at her and Pansy gave her a look of death. (a/n: Draco told them all already.) She didn't care though because Draco was her boyfriend and that made her the happiest (and luckiest) girl at Hogwarts.  
  
A/N: ok..how was that? I think I'm gunna bring Christmas hols into this in the next chapter, don't worry. And Hermione and Draco will eventually fight, but it wont be for a while. Sound good? 


	4. Christmas Wishes

Chapter 4: Christmas Wishes  
  
Weeks later Hermione and Draco were still happy together and Christmas was only a few days away. Draco, being a pureblood Malfoy and having much money, was planning to spend some of his money on a good gift for Hermione. The only bad part was that he had no idea what to buy her. So, he sat on the couch in front of the fire in the common room, trying to figure out a good gift for her.  
  
All of a sudden the portrait to the common room swung open and in walked Hermione. Upon seeing Draco, she walked over to say hi.  
  
"Hey hunn!" she greeted him, giving him a quick kiss and heading up to her room to drop off her books.  
  
"Hey Mione," he replied as she walked back down the stairs minutes later, now out of her uniform and dressed in a pair of baby blue silk pajama pants with suns and moons on them and one of his white t-shirts. Donning her feet were her baby blue slippers.  
  
"You look stressed, what's wrong?" she asked him when she saw the look on his face.  
  
"Nothing babe. I'm fine," he answered looking into the fire.  
  
"Are you sure? You look kind of down."  
  
"Yeah Herms, I'm fine."  
  
"Ok, if you're sure. How was your day hunnie?"  
  
"Eh.Weasley attempted to fight with me at breakfast this morning, as usual. Why weren't you there anyway?"  
  
"I overslept."  
  
"YOU, Hermione Granger, OVERSLEPT? Woah," he said to her mockingly.  
  
"Hey!" she said, taking a pillow from next to her and hitting him over the head with it.  
  
"Oh, you're going down Ms. Granger," he told her, hitting her with another pillow.  
  
Running around the room with pillows in their hands, they chased each other and hit each other for a while before collapsing on the couch again. Hermione smiled and kissed Draco before putting her pillow down and walking up the stairs and into her room for bed. Draco smirked to himself and decided to go to bed as well. What neither of them knew was that the other one wasn't sleeping too well.  
  
Around midnight, Hermione got out of her bed, realizing that she wasn't about to fall asleep anytime soon. She sat down on her window seat and looked outside at the falling snow. She thought of Christmas in a week and remembered the letter she got from her parents at the beginning of the year.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
iA large gray owl flew into the head girl's room at Hogwarts two days after Hermione had arrived at the school on the train. She recognized her owl, Bella, and took the letter from her leg. She saw that it was her mother's handwriting and opened it.  
  
Dearest Hermione -  
  
Guess what sweetie? You know how I'm having a baby.well, it's going to be a girl! Isn't that great? We also know the due date. She's due on Christmas, which might make the holidays a bit harder but definitely better.  
  
Baby what your mother is trying to say is that you're going to have to stay at school for the holidays. We're sorry dear, but we don't want to ruin your holidays by having to take your mother to the hospital in the middle of them. We think you'll be better off at school this year. We'll send you pictures of your new sister as soon as she's born, ok hun? We're sorry again and we love you!  
  
Love always, Mum and Dad  
  
Joy. A whole two weeks alone at Hogwarts. Why me? /i  
  
*End of flashback*  
  
She sighed. Outside, the snow was still falling and everything was pure white. A tear ran down her cheek thinking of the holidays without her parents. All of a sudden she saw a shooting star. Remembering the muggle theory, she closed her eyes and made a wish. Yawning, she got off the window seat and snuggled up under the covers of her bed. This time, she fell asleep almost instantly. 


	5. Hogsmeade, Ron, and a baby

Chapter 5: Hogsmeade and Ron  
  
The next morning, Hermione awoke to see a letter on her bedside table. She sat up in bed and looked at it, recognizing Ron's handwriting instantly. She opened it and read it.  
  
Mione -  
  
Yesterday, when you told us that you're dating Malfoy, I told you I was fine with it, but really, I'm not. I've liked you forever Mione, and I don't want to see you with Malfoy. He's the same evil git that called you Mudblood for all these years. He made fun of you for six years, Mione. How could you just go out with him after being tortured by him for years? That's not fair, Mione.  
  
Love, Ron  
  
"I can't believe him!" she said to herself, throwing the letter into the fireplace of her room and grabbing her shower stuff to shower.  
  
When she walked out of her room, she didn't look to see where Malfoy was, but noticed that the door to his room was closed. She locked the door to the bathroom and turned on the strawberry scented bubble taps, along with the water taps, and undressed. Stepping into the bath, she let the warmth of the water overtake her senses and pretty soon she had forgotten all about the letter from Ron.  
  
A half an hour later, she walked out of the bathroom in her robe and slippers. She saw Draco in the common room, reading the Daily Prophet by the fire. Smiling to herself, she went into her room to get dressed. Being that it's the Saturday before Christmas, she got dressed in a pair of black hip huggers and a pink sweater. She put on socks and sneakers, dried and straightened her hair, and headed down to the common room. She snuck up behind Draco and attacked him from behind.  
  
"Hey!" he screamed, jumping off the couch and facing her now laughing form.  
  
"The look on your face was priceless," she said in between fits of giggles.  
  
"Oh, you're gunna get it now Mione," he joked, chasing her around the common room.  
  
He caught her within minutes and wrapped his arms around her waist and carrying her over his shoulders to the portrait. She kicked her legs and pounded her arms on his back, trying to get him to put her down, but he didn't. He carried her out of the portrait, down the hallways, and to the great hall. When they entered the great hall, everyone turned towards the door and looked at them. Draco put Hermione down by the entrance, turned to her, and gave her a kiss before taking her hand and leading her to the Head's table. As they began to eat, everyone resumed their conversations and the eyes were off of them.  
  
"Good morning Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Granger," greeted Dumbledore when they sat down.  
  
"Good morning," came the reply from both of them.  
  
About a half an hour later, Draco and Hermione finished breakfast and decided to go to Hogsmeade with the rest of the school. So they grabbed their jackets and headed down to the entrance hall so they could catch a carriage to the train to Hogsmeade.  
  
"Draco?" began Hermione as they were walking hand in hand through Hogsmeade.  
  
"What?" he stopped, looking at her.  
  
"Ron's mad at me for dating you and I don't know what to do," she confessed, beginning to cry a little. She dropped his hand and covered her face so he wouldn't see her cry.  
  
"Mione, don't worry. It'll be ok. Don't worry. We'll figure something out, I promise," he told her, wiping the tears from her eyes and hugging her. With his arm wrapped comfortingly around her waist, they continued their walk around Hogsmeade.  
  
Draco thought of the perfect gift for Hermione as they were ending their little walk.  
  
"Hey Mione, why don't you go into the Three Broomsticks and order us some drinks. I have a gift to pick up and I don't want you to see it," he told her, kissing her cheek and walking off before she had a chance to react.  
  
Practically running, Draco headed towards the jewelry store, Melani's Jewels, and went inside. Looking around, he picked out a beautiful necklace for his Mione. A dragon shaped pendant with emeralds outlining it and sapphire eyes. On the back it said D+ H. Before leaving, he found something even better and bought it for her as well.  
  
When he reached the Three Broomsticks, he saw Hermione and Ron fighting again. Ron said something and Hermione looked hurt. He walked in the door as soon as Hermione was running out. She ran into him, saw who it was, and sobbed into his chest.  
  
"Weasley, what the bloody hell did you do to her?" Draco demanded, wrapping his arms around Hermione comfortingly.  
  
"Nothing Malfoy. Honestly, I have no idea what she sees in someone like you." He rambled.  
  
"Well Weasley," he began but was cut off by Hermione looking into his eyes and shaking her head. He sighed and hugged her before walking out with her.  
  
They sat down on one of the benches that had been charmed so no snow could get on it and Hermione continued to sob. A few minutes later, she stopped and her breathing returned to normal. After hugging Draco, they headed back to the train to go to Hogwarts. What a long day, she thought to herself, sighing.  
  
On the train ride, Hermione was too quiet for Draco to just ignore it. She kept sighing and looking out the window, barely acknowledging his presence. I'll talk to her when we get to the common room I guess, he thought to himself, watching her sigh yet again and rest her head on the window. The carriage ride was basically the same as the train ride. Quiet, but a comfortable silence.  
  
When they reached the common room, Hermione started to walk up the stairs to her room, but Draco stopped her at the top of the stairs.  
  
"Hey Mione, you ok?" he asked, lifting her chin so she looked into his eyes.  
  
She sighed, "I'm fine Draco, or I will be."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"No," she sobbed, collapsing into his arms, "Ron took this way out of hand. I can't believe he did that to me! How could he?"  
  
Draco carried her down the stairs and to the couch in the common room. "What did he do, Mione?"  
  
'H-he told me that I was stupid for going out with you and that I didn't deserve someone as mean or evil as you. he told me that I deserved better. Then h-he called me one of your whores," she sobbed into his shoulder.  
  
"Sh, Mione, shhh! It'll be ok. You're not a whore, I promise you that. And Ron's just jealous because he can't have someone like you. Shh! It's ok," he comforted her, mentally thinking of how many ways he could hex Ron.  
  
"Draco, is that why you like me? Because you think I'm a whore?" she questioned, looking up at him with tear filled eyes.  
  
'Of course not Mione! I'm going out with you because I like you. I don't think you're a whore at all," he replied, wondering how she could think that.  
  
"Good," she said with a yawn and leaned onto his chest, closing her eyes.  
  
Pretty soon she was asleep, and Malfoy was close to falling asleep when he heard something at the window. Getting up slowly, he walked to the window and opened it, making sure not to wake up Hermione. An owl flew in and he recognized it as Hermione's. He took the letter from it's leg, gave it a treat, and closed the window. He walked back over to Hermione, gently shook her awake, and handed her the letter. She read it and smiled.  
  
"Ahhhhh! Draco, guess what???" she exclaimed jumping on the couch in happiness and excitement.  
  
"What?" he asked, smirking at her crazy antics.  
  
"My mom had the baby!!! YAY!!!!!!!!" she shouted, jumping around some more with a huge smile on her face. She handed Draco the letter to read and continued her jumping.  
  
Dearest Hermione -  
  
Well sweetie, guess what?! You're mother had the baby yesterday. Her name is Emma Marie Granger and she's seven pounds, 6 ounces, 19 ¾ inches long. She's beautiful with brown hair and blue-green eyes. We sent a picture to you along with this letter. You're mother has some stuff to say, so I'll let her say it now.  
  
Hermione sweetie, I wish you could be here with us. Your sister is adorable and I know you would love her so much. You can't come home though, since I'm going to be in the hospital for a while with the baby so we can rest more easily. Have fun this break sweetie and have a happy Christmas. Your present will be sent to you as soon as we get the chance. We love you!  
  
Love, Mum and Dad  
  
"Wow, congratulations Mione!" Draco said to her, smirking once again as she continued jumping on the couch.  
  
"Thanks. Did you see the picture?" she asked, holding it out to him. He took it and looked at it. He saw Hermione's parents holding a little sleeping bundle. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were smiling as they looked at the brunette baby. Hermione jumped off the couch and walked over to him.  
  
"Isn't she cute?" she asked, looking at him.  
  
"Yeah," replied Draco, looking at her. They kissed before she went upstairs for bed.  
  
He followed and sighed. Her parents seemed so happy and his parents were the complete opposite. Damn Lord Voldemort for corrupting Lucius, he thought to himself before falling asleep. 


	6. Christmas Gifts

Chapter 6 - Christmas Gifts  
  
Pretty soon Christmas Eve had come and the school was empty except for Draco, Hermione, a few professors, and Dumbledore. All of the other students had gone home for the holidays.  
  
After the Christmas Eve feast with Dumbledore and the other professors, Hermione and Draco sat on one of the sofas in their common room near the fire. As the fire crackled and burned, warming the room, Hermione and Draco were deep in thought.  
  
Who would've thought that I would be spending my Christmas Eve cuddled on a sofa with Draco Malfoy? If someone had told me that about a year ago, I would've laughed at them and called them insane, but now it just seems right, Hermione thought to herself, looking up at Draco's face before turning her eyes back to the fire in front of her.  
  
I can't believe I'm sitting here with Hermione Granger, the mudblood that my father hates. She's looking at me.wow she's so hot. I love her.wait did I just think that? Do I really love her? Yeah I definitely do. This is so confusing. I cant believe I fell in love with her, Draco thought to himself.  
  
Draco stopped thinking about his love for Hermione for one minute before turning to her and kissing her forehead. She looked up at him again and smiled, leaning towards him. Their lips met in a soft yet sweet kiss. She pulled away a minute later and smiled up at him before snuggling up to his chest and closing her eyes. He looked at her now sleeping form before he too closed his eyes and fell asleep in front of the fire.  
  
The next morning, Hermione opened her honey colored eyes and looked around. It's Christmas, she thought. The fire had died out a while ago, leaving the room feeling cold. She took her wand off the table, muttered something, and the fireplace was ablaze with a new fire. She yawned and turned back to what she thought was her pillow. Seeing that it was Draco, she smiled and shook him awake. He mumbled something about it being too early before turning over on the couch and falling off of it.  
  
"What the hell?!" he grumbled, getting off the floor and sitting on the couch. He rubbed his eyes and turned to Hermione, who was still laughing at him.  
  
"What's so funny?" he asked her, looking angry.  
  
"You," came the reply as she continued her laughing fit.  
  
"It wasn't funny," he remarked, leaning back against the couch.  
  
"Yes it was," she laughed.  
  
"Oh, you're gunna get it now Ms. Granger," he said to her, picking her up and holding her over his head, threatening to drop her.  
  
"No! Don't drop me!" she begged, looking at him innocently.  
  
"Why shouldn't I?" he asked.  
  
"Because..because.I didn't do anything to you."  
  
"But you did do something to me Mione. You made me fall off the couch and then you laughed at me."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So I get to drop you," he said, dropping her on the couch and running to the stairs leading to his room.  
  
"Draco, you're a dead Slytherin!" she threatened, chasing him up the stairs and into his room. Noticing that he was hiding under the covers on the bed, she hopped onto the bed and started jumping on it.  
  
"Hey!" he yelled from under the covers. He got out from under them and started jumping with her. Eventually they collapsed together onto the bed, panting. Draco looked at her with a smirk on his face. She smiled back at him and they kissed. Simple and sweet. They pulled apart and got off of the bed. Draco took Hermione's hand and together they walked down the stairs and into the common room to open the presents that they had under the tree.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Draco," she said to him, giving him his gift.  
  
He opened it and found a book entitled Quidditch: Sport or Hobby and a CD of the punk muggle band Simple Plan. He smirked and said, "Thanks Mione. They're great I love them. Here's yours." He handed her the gift he had gotten her at Melani's Jewels.  
  
She opened it and her eyes lit up. The dragon necklace gleamed in the sunlight and he took it out of her hands to put it on her. He then handed her a smaller box and told her to open it. She did and what she saw made her gasp. It was a gorgeous white gold ring with the words 'I'll love you forever' inscribed on the inside in Italian.  
  
"Oh Draco," she breathed, "It's beautiful."  
  
"It's a promise ring. The words on the inside mean 'I'll love you forever' and are written in Italian," he explained.  
  
"Thank you Draco. It's beautiful," she told him, kissing him.  
  
When they broke apart, he said, "I love you Mione and I'll never leave you."  
  
"I love you too Draco," she said, sighing and resting her head on his chest.  
  
He smiled and sat down on the couch with her in his lap, her head still on his chest. The fire was still crackling from earlier, and Draco stared into it, thoughts filling his head. This was my first good Christmas, he realized, thinking back to all the Christmases he had spent at Malfoy Manor. Nothing compares to this, he thought, closing his eyes.  
  
After Hermione and Draco had woken up from their nap, Hermione decided to go in the snow with Draco.  
  
"C'mon Draco, it'll be fun! Pleeeeease??" she begged, pouting a little so he would cave in and go outside with her.  
  
Sighing, he said, "Fine."  
  
"Yay! Thank you!" she exclaimed, jumping off of his lap and running up the stairs to shower and put warmer clothes on.  
  
Draco changed into a black shirt, black pants, socks, and a pair of Timberland boots. He let his hair fall into his eyes, grabbed a jacket and gloves, and went to wait for Hermione in the common room.  
  
Hermione, on the other hand, was just stepping out of the shower, smelling like strawberries. She wrapped herself in her robe and walked into her room with a towel around her wet hair. Inside her room, she changed into a dark blue sweater, jeans, and her boots. She dried and brushed her hair, put on a hat, gloves, and her baby blue winter jacket, and walked down the stairs to meet Draco. Together they walked out of the portrait hole and down to the entrance hall to go outside.  
  
Once outside, they wandered around in the snow, ending up near the lake. Hermione wandered over to a tree and took off one of the icicles to show Draco, but when she turned around to face him, he wasn't there. Slightly confused, she looked around but couldn't find him.  
  
All of a sudden, a snowball hit her from above. She looked up and saw Draco sitting in the tree that she took the icicle off of. He smirked and hit her with another snowball before jumping out of the tree and running towards the castle. She chased him, throwing snowballs and pieces of ice at him along the way.  
  
Close to the doors to the school, he stopped and turned towards her. She ran into him and almost knocked him down. Laughing, she hit him with more snow before smiling innocently and running away.  
  
He chased after her and tackled her to the ground. He looked into her eyes and the laughter stopped. They stared into each other's eyes for a few minutes, letting all their emotions fade away. Draco's lips slowly made their way to hers and he kissed her passionately but sweetly. They pulled apart and he helped her off the ground and they walked inside, hand in hand.  
  
They headed to the common room, where Hermione went to take a warm shower and change, leaving Draco to his thoughts in his room. All he could think about was Hermione and how much he loved her. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, but he didn't know if she felt the same way. He hoped she did, but for now he was lucky to have her.  
  
Hermione got out of the shower and walked into her room. She changed into a red sweater, black jeans, and her Santa Claus socks. She dried her hair and pulled it back into a bun. Grabbing a book, she went down to the common room to read before the Christmas feast.  
  
Draco, on the other hand, showered, changed into a black shirt, jeans, socks, and his boots, before putting his new Simple Plan CD into the CD player and blasting it.  
  
Down in the common room, Hermione heard Simple Plan blasting from Draco's room and smiled to herself, realizing he really did like the gift she gave him.  
  
About an hour later, Draco emerged from the room and went down to the common room.  
  
"Hermione, the feast is in ten minutes, wake up," he called, shaking her gently. She opened her eyes, looked at the time, jumped off the couch, and ran to her room for shoes and to put her book away. Two minutes later, she came down with her knee length black leather boots on her feet and her Christmas tree earrings in her ears.  
  
"Let's go," she said and the two of them walked down to the feast for a delicious meal. 


	7. Bad News for Hermione

Chapter 7 - Bad News for Hermione  
  
Disclaimer: I only own the plot and Hermione's family. The rest belongs to J.K. Rowling.  
  
After the Christmas feast, Hermione and Draco returned to their common room and listened to Draco's Simple Plan CD. After listening to the entire CD once, Hermione retreated to her bedroom and changed for bed. Once she had her pajamas on, she grabbed an extra blanket out of her closet and walked over to her window seat. She wrapped herself in the blanket, sat down on the seat, and stared out the window.  
  
Out of nowhere a rush of thoughts filled her head. She thought of all of her memories of Draco. When he called her mudblood for the first time, when she slapped him in third year, when he was turned into a ferret, when he danced with her for the first time, when he asked her to be his girlfriend, Christmas Eve, and Christmas night. She sighed and smiled, resting her head up against the cold window. Pulling the blanket tighter around her, she looked at the snow on the ground and a few minutes later it had started snowing again. The snow swirled around as the wind blew faster and faster. She sighed and got off the window seat. She walked to her bed, unwrapped herself from the blanket and draped it over the end of the bed. She climbed into her bed and was asleep within minutes.  
  
Draco, on the other hand, had trouble sleeping. His bed felt cold without anyone in the space beside him. The holidays would be ending in a week and everyone would be back at school, leaving him and Hermione less time together. Sighing, he rolled over in his bed and fell into an uneasy, restless sleep.  
  
The next morning, Hermione awoke early and took a quick shower. She got dressed in a baby blue long sleeved shirt, a pair of jeans, and socks before drying her hair and brushing it straight. She then grabbed a book and her headphones and went to the common room to read and listen to her Good Charlotte CD. Draco was still sleeping soundly in his room.  
  
With the song Hold On blasting in her headphones, Hermione put down her book, climbed onto the couch, and started dancing around wildly. She stopped in the middle of the song, took off her head phones, muttered a spell under her breath while tapping the CD player, and all of a sudden the music was playing throughout the room. She continued dancing and jumping around on the couches, while the CD played.  
  
Out of nowhere, the CD stopped playing and Hermione turned around, in mid dance, to face the CD player. She saw Draco standing there in a pair of his green and silver boxers, looking sleepy. She blushed at the sight of him in his boxers and sat down on the couch.  
  
"Sorry," she mumbled, looking at her hands.  
  
He mumbled something under his breath and yawned, walking up the stairs and into the bathroom. Hermione turned off her CD player and brought it into her room. She walked out again and went back into the common room to read while Draco finished his shower and got dressed.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Draco emerged from the bathroom, said hello to Hermione, and went into his room to get dressed. He put on his black hoodie over a black t-shirt and jeans. Then he found his socks and Timberland boots and put them on before going down to the common room to meet Hermione before going down to lunch.  
  
"Hey," he greeted her, smirking and sitting down on the couch next to her.  
  
"Hi," she said, not looking up from her book, "What time is it?"  
  
"12:30" he replied, looking at his watch, "Wanna get some lunch in the Great Hall?"  
  
"Sure, just let me get my shoes," she said, getting off of the couch, closing her book, and going to get her sneakers out of her room. She grabbed her sneakers from her closet in her room, put them on, and ran down the stairs. She smiled and said, "Ok, I'm ready."  
  
He smirked at her once again and led her out of the portrait hole and down to the Great Hall where the professors and headmaster Dumbledore were sitting, enjoying lunch while the snow continually fell outside. Hermione and Draco sat down, put food on their plates, and ate.  
  
In the middle of the meal, the doors to the Great Hall opened and in walked Harry, Ron, and Ginny. Hermione's eyes lit up and she ran over to them.  
  
"What're you guys doing here? Shouldn't you be at the Burrow?" she asked, in awe that they were actually there.  
  
"Well, we got bored around the Burrow with the twins visiting Bill and Charlie and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley yelling at Ron constantly for talking about you. He's really mad still, if you couldn't tell," Harry explained while Ron shot her evil looks.  
  
Ginny spoke up, "So how were the holidays with Mal-Draco?"  
  
"Oh, it was good. My mom had the baby on the December 19th. It's a girl and her name is Emma Marie Granger. She's so cute. I have a picture of her in my room for you to see after we eat. Come on, have some breakfast with us," rambled Hermione, heading to the table in the middle of the hall with Ginny, telling her all about what had happened over the break.  
  
"Wow, Herms looks like she had a lot of fun," stated Harry to Ron as Ron continued giving his best female friend evil glares. Ron and Harry began walking to the table, talking about quidditch.  
  
"Malfoy," Harry greeted when they reached the table.  
  
"Potter, Weasley," came the response from Malfoy as he glared at them. Ron just grunted a reply.  
  
Hermione and Ginny were busy talking about Hermione's hair and how she had straightened it over the winter break. Draco realized that the only people he could make conversation with were the professors, Dumbledore, Harry, or Ron. He plastered his usual smirk on his face and got out of his chair, gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek, and headed back to their common room.  
  
When he reached the portrait, he looked at it closely. He never really realized what it was. It was a picture of the first Head Boy and Head Girl. They looked, surprisingly, like Hermione and Draco. He didn't think about it, mumbled the password (serpent lioness), and entered when the portrait swung open. He wandered up to his room and blasted his Story of the Year CD. He laid on his bed and decided to work on his Potions essay. A little while later, he heard the portrait open again and heard the voices of Hermione and Ginny. They walked into Hermione's room, giggling, and shut the door. He sighed, changed the CD to Thrice, and finished his essay.  
  
In Hermione's room, she and Ginny were giving each other makeovers. Ginny was working on permanently straightening Hermione's hair when a soft tapping on the window was heard. Hermione got up, to the protest of Ginny, and went to the window to let in her owl. She took the letter and the parcel from her owl and gave it a treat before noticing the handwriting and smiling.  
  
"Who's it from Herms?" asked Ginny, looking up at her friend.  
  
"My parents," came the reply.  
  
Hermione ripped open the parcel first and saw a poster of her favorite actor, Johnny Depp, a gold nameplate necklace with her name on it in cursive, a diamond over the 'i', and a Christmas card from her family. She smiled and opened the letter.  
  
Dear Hermione -  
  
Merry Christmas Hermione! I hope you enjoy your gifts and I hope you had a god holiday. You're sister did and she's home from the hospital. She came home on Christmas Eve morning.  
  
Hermione, I have some terrible news. Your mother got sick last night and isn't doing too well. She had emergency surgery on her lung last night and is stabilized right now, but the doctors don't know how long she has left. She might be dying sweetheart. The next 48 hours are crucial and if she survives them, she has a better chance of surviving. I'm sorry to tell you this through a letter, but I had to. I'm sorry sweetheart. I know you're mother sends her love to you too. I'll keep you updated, Mione, I promise.  
  
Love, Dad and Emma  
  
"Oh my god," gasped Hermione, her eyes watering. She handed Ginny the letter to read, jumped onto her bed, and sobbed into her pillow. Ginny read the letter, gasped, and sat next to Hermione, trying to calm her down. Seeing as nothing she said was helping Hermione, Ginny left the room and went down the hall to get Draco.  
  
Ginny knocked on Draco's door and heard him say 'come in' before entering.  
  
"Draco, Hermione's upset," stated Ginny, looking him in the eye when she entered.  
  
"Why? What happened?" he asked, jumping off of his bed and following her to Hermione's room. Ginny handed him the letter from Hermione's father and he read it. When he finished, he handed the letter back to her and entered Hermione's room. He saw her crying her eyes out into her pillow and walked over to her.  
  
"Mione?" he said softly. She looked up from her pillow, saw him, collapsed onto him and started sobbing into his shoulder.  
  
"Oh Draco," she began, sobbing, "My mom's sick. She might even die and I don't know what to do. I'm so scared, Draco. She can't die. What about Emma? She's only a few weeks old. She'll be lost without my mom. It's not fair!" She sobbed harder into his shoulder and he did all he could to sooth her and comfort her.  
  
"Shh! Mione, relax. It'll be ok. I'm sure she'll be fine. She wouldn't die and leave you, your sister, and your father. She'll be fine, don't worry. Shhh! Calm down, babe," he told her, rocking her back and forth as she sobbed. Pretty soon, she wasn't sobbing anymore and her breathing slowed down to normal and even. He realized that she was sleeping and that Ginny had left a little while ago. He laid her down on her bed and covered her up with a blanket before turning off the light and leaving.  
  
When he left Hermione's room, he headed down to the great hall for dinner, ate, and then went back to his room to finish his Potions essay. He couldn't help but think about Hermione and her mother's illness. He fell asleep thinking off that.  
  
When Hermione woke up the next morning, she felt refreshed, but the memories of the night before made her sad and her eyes started tearing again. 'Be strong, Hermione' she told herself, blinking away tears that threatened to fall. Thinking that it might help wake her up, she went into the bathroom to take a bath. She turned on the strawberry bubble taps (a/n: strawberry is Hermione's favorite scent so she uses those taps the most often) and the water taps and undressed. When she turned off the water, she stepped into the bath and closed her eyes, relaxing. She let all her problems go away for the time being and didn't think of anything.  
  
Forty-five minutes later, she stepped out of the bath, wrapped herself in her robe, and went into her room to get dressed. She dressed in a baby blue sweater and black jeans, light blue socks, and her fuzzy pink slippers. She dried and brushed her hair straight (a/n: Ginny had put a permanent straightening potion in her hair the night before) and stepped through the portrait in her room that led to the Gryffindor common room. She saw Harry, Ron, and Ginny playing a game of Exploding Snap in the center of the common room, by the fire. She smiled and walked over to them.  
  
"Hey guys," she greeted them, sitting down in a chair by the fire. Harry and Ginny stopped playing and looked at her with concern in their eyes.  
  
"How're you doing today, Herms?" asked Ginny as she and Harry sat down in the chairs next to hers.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine I guess," she said with a sigh, "Better then yesterday that is."  
  
At that moment, Draco burst into the common room, holding a letter in his hand. "Mione, this came for you," he said, handing the letter out to her.  
  
A/N: DUN DUN DUNNNNN! Well, how is it? It's the longest chapter yet. I'll update another chapter soon. Enjoy! R/R 


	8. Sad News

Chapter 8 - Sad News  
  
*~*Previously*~*  
  
"Oh Draco," she began, sobbing, "My mom's sick. She might even die and I don't know what to do. I'm so scared, Draco. She can't die. What about Emma? She's only a few weeks old. She'll be lost without my mom. It's not fair!" She sobbed harder into his shoulder and he did all he could to sooth her and comfort her.  
  
"Shh! Mione, relax. It'll be ok. I'm sure she'll be fine. She wouldn't die and leave you, your sister, and your father. She'll be fine, don't worry. Shhh! Calm down, babe," he told her, rocking her back and forth as she sobbed.  
  
the next morning  
  
She saw Harry, Ron, and Ginny playing a game of Exploding Snap in the center of the common room, by the fire. She smiled and walked over to them.  
  
"Hey guys," she greeted them, sitting down in a chair by the fire. Harry and Ginny stopped playing and looked at her with concern in their eyes.  
  
"How're you doing today, Herms?" asked Ginny as she and Harry sat down in the chairs next to hers.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine I guess," she said with a sigh, "Better then yesterday that is."  
  
At that moment, Draco burst into the common room, holding a letter in his hand. "Mione, this came for you," he said, handing the letter out to her.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Shaking Hermione took the letter out of Draco's hands and opened it. She saw her father's handwriting and knew it could be either good or bad but it was definitely about her mother. She opened the letter and read its contents before holding it in front of her so Ginny could take it. Ginny read it and looked at Hermione with tears in her eyes. By now, the tears that had been threatening to fall in Hermione's eyes had fallen. She was sobbing. Ginny put an arm around her best friend while handing the letter to Draco. It read:  
  
Dear Hermione -  
  
Well, sweetheart, I have some more bad news. You're mother is getting worse and she's close to death. I've arranged with Headmaster Dumbledore for you to come and see her. Why don't you bring that boyfriend of yours. What's his name? Draco? Well anyway, whenever you want to come, just go to the headmaster's office and he'll give you something in order to get here ok? I love you Hermione, so does your mother. Hope to see you soon.  
  
Love, Dad  
  
He looked at Hermione, who had stopped crying slightly, and handed the letter to Harry and Ron before enveloping her in a hug.  
  
He looked her in the eyes and quietly asked, "Do you want me to come with you to see your family?"  
  
She nodded and leaned on him. Her crying had died down a bit and she was calming down slowly.  
  
"Mia, why don't we go pack for your house and then go to Dumbledore and leave? Sound good?" Draco questioned her softly.  
  
She nodded and got off of his lap and said goodbye to her friends, who each gave her a hug. She grabbed Draco's hand and they walked through the portrait connecting Hermione's room to the Gryffindor common room. Draco helped Hermione pack and then went to pack himself. When they were finished, they shrunk their stuff and put it in their pockets before walking to Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Fizzing Whizbees," Draco mumbled as the stone gargoyle moved aside to let them onto the staircase and up to Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Good morning Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy. What can I do for you today?" greeted Dumbledore, giving Hermione a sad smile as they walked into his office.  
  
Draco handed Dumbledore the letter and stepped back as he read it. A few seconds later, he looked up and spoke, "Ms. Granger, I'm terrible sorry. Here, take this portkey and it'll take you to the hospital that your mother is staying in. Send your family my condolences. Take good care of her, Mr. Malfoy."  
  
Draco nodded in reply and they both took hold of the portkey, which happened to be an expensive looking pen. They felt the familiar pull behind their navel and reached their destination within seconds. Draco pocketed the portkey and took Hermione's hand before heading for the information desk.  
  
"Hello, can you tell me where Laura Granger's room is?" he asked the receptionist.  
  
"How are you related to her?" the receptionist questioned, looking at them.  
  
"This is her daughter and I'm her daughter's boyfriend," replied Draco, coolly.  
  
"Room 615," the receptionist told them, turning back to her paperwork.  
  
Draco thanked her and led Hermione to the elevator. He pressed the button labeled with the number 6 and the elevator jumped to life. Pretty soon it stopped on the 6th floor and the couple got off and walked down a long corridor lined with rooms. They found Mr. Andrew Granger pacing in front of Room 615 with an upset look on his face. Hermione dropped Draco's hand and ran to hug her father.  
  
"Mione," he said, "I'm glad you came. Your mother wanted to see you."  
  
Hermione nodded and asked, "What exactly is wrong with her daddy?"  
  
"She has a lung problem and had surgery to get rid of it," he replied, looking grave.  
  
"Cancer?" questioned Hermione.  
  
"No, but something just as bad," he answered, looking away from her.  
  
Again, Hermione nodded and then entered the room slowly. She saw her mother lying on the bed with her eyes closed. She looked paler then ever and had bags under her eyes. Tubes were coming out of her arm and she had some monitor hooked up to her chest to make sure nothing bad happened to her lungs. She looked deathly sick. Hermione sat down in the chair next to her mom's bed and took her mother's hand, waking her up.  
  
"Mom?"  
  
"Mione," her mother breathed, smiling sadly at her daughter.  
  
"Oh Mom," Hermione said with a sigh and carefully gave her mom a hug, "I missed you so much."  
  
"I missed you too Mione," her mother, Laura, replied, "Have you seen your sister yet?"  
  
"Not yet mom, but I want to. Where is she?"  
  
"She's outside with your father."  
  
"Ok, I'll go see her later. Would you like to meet Draco?"  
  
"Of course sweetie," she replied, smiling as Hermione went out into the hallway to get Draco.  
  
"Draco, this is my mom, mom this is Draco," Hermione said, introducing them.  
  
"Hello Mrs. Granger. How're you feeling?" asked Draco sitting down in a chair beside Hermione's.  
  
"I've been better," she replied, shifting in the bed, "It was nice to meet you Draco."  
  
She shifted again in the bed and all of a sudden her eyes closed and she collapsed against the bed. Alarms started going off and Hermione and Draco were ushered out of the room as a few doctors and nurses ran in. Hermione started crying again and Draco led her to a waiting room a few feet down the hallway, where they saw a car seat placed on the seat next to Hermione's dad.  
  
"Dad, the alarms went off and mom collapsed onto the bed. I don't know what's wrong," cried Hermione, running to him. He hugged her and ran off towards his wife's room calling out behind him "Watch your sister."  
  
Hermione wiped the tears from her eyes and picked up an awake bundle from the car seat. She held it carefully in her arms and smiled.  
  
"Hey Emma, I'm your sister, Hermione. This is Draco, see? Aw, Draco she's so little," spoke Hermione, looking up at him with the baby still smiling in her arms, "Wanna hold her?"  
  
"Sure," he replied, holding out his arms to accept the baby. He took the smiling baby in his arms and held her. She smiled up at him and he looked at Hermione, who was smiling sadly. Draco put the baby back in the car seat and sat down on the bench next to it. Hermione sat down next to him and buried her head in his chest. Tears ran down her cheeks, but she wiped them away and closed her eyes. She sighed and fell into a deep sleep. Draco soon fell asleep as well, his arms wrapped around her and one hand holding the car seat so it wouldn't fall.  
  
About an hour later, Andrew Granger walked back into the waiting room, looking forlorn. He saw his daughters and Draco asleep on the benches of the waiting room. He saw one of Draco's arms wrapped around Hermione and the other resting lightly on Emma's car seat. He smiled to himself and walked over to Hermione and Draco.  
  
"Mione, Mione wake up," he whispered, shaking her gently. She groggily opened her eyes and looked at him. When she realized who it was, she jumped up.  
  
"Dad, how's mom? Is she gunna be ok?" Hermione questioned, yawning and rubbing her eyes before looking at her father for an answer.  
  
"Mione, I'm afraid I have some bad news," he began, leading her to a seat a little ways away from Draco and Emma.  
  
"She's still alive isn't she?" asked Hermione.  
  
Her father shook his head, "She died about ten minutes ago."  
  
"No...no she cant be dead, she can't," protested Hermione, whispering.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mione, but she is."  
  
"But what about Emma? She has to grow up without a mother, now. That's not good."  
  
"I know, Mione, I know, but we'll get along as best we can without your mother. It'll be ok."  
  
"No it won't. It won't be ok. Mom was everything to this family and you know it," argued Hermione, waking up Draco in the process. She stormed down the hall and collapsed onto the floor by the nurse's station, sobbing. Draco caught up to her and wrapped her in his arms, rocking her back and forth to calm her down.  
  
"Mia, you're dad told me what happened. I'm so sorry," he whispered. When she just nodded, he continued, "It'll be ok, Hermione, it really will. You're dad will take car of Emma and I wont let anything, or anyone, harm you. I promise. Ok?"  
  
She nodded and he picked her up in his arms, leading her back to the waiting room.  
  
"Draco?" she began, looking up at him about halfway back to the waiting room.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I wanna leave. I can't stay here anymore. Can we go back to Hogwarts? Please?" she asked, still looking into his eyes.  
  
"Sure," he replied, continuing to the waiting room to say goodbye and get their stuff.  
  
"Dad, we're gunna leave. I can't stand being her anymore and knowing that mom won't be coming back anymore. I love you," Hermione told her father, before hugging Emma while Draco said good bye to Mr. Granger. They then grabbed the pen and were portkeyed back to Hogwarts. 


	9. The Aftermath

Chapter 9 - The Aftermath  
  
A/N: Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been at my dad's and didn't really have enough time to write another chapter. Sorry again. Here's what you've all been (hopefully) waiting for.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything Harry Potter. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling's brilliant mind. Anything or anyone you might not recognize, along with the plot, is mine.  
  
Hermione and Draco reached Hogwarts a few seconds later and arrived in Dumbledore's office. Hearing them arrive, Dumbledore looked up and saw them standing there, sad looks upon their usually happy faces.  
  
"What happened?" he asked cautiously.  
  
"My mom.she's..she's...gone!!" sobbed Hermione, burying her face in Draco's shoulder.  
  
"Oh, Miss Granger, I'm so sorry for your loss. Are you going to be alright?" he said, in what he hoped was a comforting way.  
  
She nodded, still crying and Dumbledore continued, "You can take some time off of your studies if you need to Hermione."  
  
She looked up at him, smiled, and walked out with Draco behind her. They walked to the portrait to their dormitory, gave the password, and walked inside. Hermione walked away from Draco, who had taken a seat on the couch, and climbed the stairs into her room. She got their, took her forgotten bags out of her pocket, enlarged them, put a CD into her CD player, and began putting her clothes away again. As the song blasted throughout her room, she sung the words to herself and threw a pair of jeans into her drawer before collapsing onto the bed, listening to the song.  
  
Now you're gone,  
  
I wonder why,  
  
You left me hear,  
  
I think about it on,  
  
and on, and on, and on,  
  
and on, and on again.  
  
I know you're never coming back,  
  
I hope that you can hear me,  
  
I'm waiting to hear from you..  
  
Until i do,  
  
You're gone away,  
  
I'm left alone,  
  
A part of me is gone,  
  
And I'm not moving on,  
  
So wait for me,  
  
I know the day will come..  
  
I'll meet you there,  
  
No matter where life takes me to,  
  
I'll meet you there,  
  
And even if I need you here,  
  
I'll meet you there.  
  
I wish I could have told you,  
  
The things I kept inside,  
  
But now I guess its just too late.  
  
So many things remind me of you,  
  
I hope that you can hear me,  
  
I miss you,  
  
This is goodbye,  
  
One last time..  
  
You're gone away,  
  
I'm left alone,  
  
A part of me is gone,  
  
And I'm not moving on,  
  
So wait for me,  
  
I know the day will come..  
  
I'll meet you there,  
  
No matter where life takes me to,  
  
I'll meet you there,  
  
And even if I need you here,  
  
I'll meet you there,  
  
No matter where life takes me to,  
  
I'll meet you there,  
  
And even if I need you here,  
  
I'll meet you there.  
  
I'll meet you there....  
  
And where I go you'll be there with me,  
  
Forever you'll be right here with me..  
  
I'll meet you there,  
  
No matter where life takes me to,  
  
I'll meet you there,  
  
And even if I need you here,  
  
I'll meet you there,  
  
No matter where life takes me..  
  
I'll meet you there,  
  
And even if I need you..  
  
I'll meet you there...  
  
I'll meet you there...  
  
I'll meet you there.  
  
She knew the song had nothing to do with her mom, but she felt it did in some way. All she could think about was her mom and how she left her. No longer did she have a mother to talk to and share vacations and stuff with. Her sister didn't have anyone to help her grow up and teach her girl things, since Hermione would be living on her own after graduation. She sighed and continued looking at the ceiling above her bed. Thinking about her mother some more, she drifted off into a deep sleep for the rest of the night. At around ten o'clock that night, Draco tapped on Hermione's door and entered when he didn't hear anything from inside. He stepped in and saw Hermione asleep on her bed, a mixed CD playing in her CD player. He turned off the CD player and put a blanket over her before leaving.  
  
She looks like an angel sleeping there like that, he thought to himself, smirking and walking out of the room quietly. He walked into his room, stripped down to his black silk boxers, and crawled into bed. As his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep instantly.  
  
The next morning, Hermione groggily rolled over in bed and awoke. She looked at her clock which read 9:27. She lazily got out of bed, looked at the calendar and saw that it was New Year's Eve. She smiled sadly to herself, grabbed her bath things, and walked to the bathroom to take a bath. The door was open and she walked in, closing and locking the door. She turned on the new apple taps and took off her clothes. She stretched and then stepped into the bath, letting the scents and bubbles overtake her senses. She closed her eyes and relaxed.  
  
While Hermione was relaxing in her bath, Draco was putting the finishing touches on his New Year's Eve surprise for her. He smirked to himself as he finished his conversation with Potter and the Weasels and went back to his common room to read or watch a movie. (A/N: yes they have electronics in their common room and dorms because they're head boy and girl and the things are charmed to work properly at Hogwarts.)  
  
About forty-five minutes later, Hermione stepped out of the bathroom, refreshed and dressed in a pink long sleeved shirt, pink socks, and denim hip-huggers. She brought her stuff back into her room, through her clothes into the hamper, and went down to the common room to see Draco, asleep in front of the television, which had the movie Pearl Harbor playing on it. She woke him up and brought him down to the kitchens with her for some food.  
  
They got to the portrait to the kitchens and Hermione tickled the pear, allowing them to enter. Dobby popped up beside them with a grim, yet large, smile on his face.  
  
"Miss Hermione, Master Malfoy, how are you?" he asked, leading them to a table to eat.  
  
"We're fine Dobby, but could you please bring us two French vanilla coffees and some pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries?" she asked, taking a seat at the table across from Draco.  
  
"Yes miss," he replied, scurrying off.  
  
Hermione smiled at Draco and looked at her hands. He sighed and got out of his chair, kneeling beside hers. He lifted her chin and looked at her.  
  
"Mione, are you ok? I mean, I know you're mom died and you have every right to be sad, but are you going to be ok?" he asked, looking into her eyes.  
  
She nodded and leaned into his shoulder, her eyes watering. She wouldn't let the tears fall, she couldn't. She had to be strong, but it was just too much for her to handle. She let the tears run down her cheeks and he put his arms around her, holding her and letting her cry. Dobby popped in at that point and, seeing them, he popped out again, leaving them alone. Hermione sniffled and pulled away from Draco's embrace. He looked her in the eyes as she wiped hers, sitting back in her chair. Draco did the same and Dobby brought their food a moment later. They ate in silence and headed back to their dorms a few minutes later, Draco's arm casually, but protectively, wrapped around Hermione's small waist. 


	10. New Year's Surprises

Chapter 10 - New Year's Surprises  
  
Disclaimer: I only own the plot and any characters that you may not recognize. The rest belongs to J.K. Rowling and the brilliant mind that she has.  
  
A/N: Kim and Erica gave me some advice on this chapter, so I thank them.  
  
Hermione and Draco arrived back in the common room and sat down on the couches, wondering what to do. Hermione lit a fire in the fireplace and put on a movie. Draco looked at her questioningly and she mumbled "Finding Nemo" under her breath.  
  
They sat on the couches, enjoying the adventure of Marlin, who's looking for his son, Nemo, who was taken by swimmers and meets up with Dori, a small but talkative fish along the way. Hermione seemed to be happy for that period of time and she laughed a lot. When the movie ended and they finished watching Pirates of the Carribean and Lilo & Stitch, Draco looked at the time and, seeing that it was now 4:30, decided to go make sure everything was in order for his New Year's Eve with Hermione.  
  
"Um.....Hey Mione, I'm gunna go for a walk, ok?" he told her, getting off of the couch and walking towards the portrait hole. She nodded and put 10 Things I Hate About You into the DVD player.  
  
He left the portrait hole and made his way up to the astronomy tower, which the house elves were busily decorating. He exited the Astronomy Tower through a little door and was out on the roof of the castle within minutes. He took something out of his pocket and looked at it, smiling. Hopefully, tonight will be one of the best nights of my life...hopefully, he thought to himself, putting it back into his pocket and walking back into the Astronomy tower to help the house elves finish decorating.  
  
Two hours later, Draco returned to the common room and found Hermione watching the end of 10 Things I Hate About You. She 'shhh'ed him when he walked in and turned her attention back to the tv. He smirked and walked into the bathroom to shower. A half an hour later, he emerged with a towel wrapped around his lower body, his hair dripping wet and beads of water dripping down his well-toned chest. He walked into his room quietly, after looking down at her in the common room to see her now watching Sleeping Beauty, and begun getting dressed. He came out of his room about ten minutes later, dressed in a black dress shirt, black pants, his dress shoes, socks, and a silver tie.  
  
He walked down to the common room and sat down next to Hermione on the couch. She gave him a look and said, "Why are you so dressed up?"  
  
"Cus we're going out for dinner," he told her, "so go upstairs, shower, and get dressed in something nice, ok?"  
  
"Ok......." she said, turning off the DVD and walking up the stairs to the bathroom. Draco turned on Terminator 3.  
  
Hermione gracefully walked down the stairs an hour later. Draco looked up from his movie and his mouth opened in shock. She looked gorgeous! Her hair was up in a twisty-bun with a few tendrils hanging and outlining her face. She had on a long lavender colored dress with spaghetti straps, a rhinestone rose on the left side of it, and shoes to match. She was wearing the necklace that he gave her for Christmas and on her wrist was a bracelet that her parents had sent her two Christmases ago. She smiled at him and he noticed the little bit of makeup on her face. He took her hand and they left the common room, heading for the Astronomy Tower.  
  
He lead her up the stairs and she gasped at what she saw. The tower was decorated in gold and silver and a little table was set for two in the center. A single rose was in a tall, thin vase in the center of the table and another rose sat on one of the plates. The ceiling above the table, as well as the walls, was enchanted to look like the night sky. She felt as if she was floating on a cloud in the sky. She looked at Draco and smiled.  
  
"All this is for me?" she questioned, looking at him in adoration. He nodded and she smiled, walking over to the table. He held out the chair for her and she sat down, allowing him to lavish her for a while.  
  
"You deserve all this," he said, taking his seat across from her, "With all you've been through this past week, you needed a night out. Here it is."  
  
She smiled and her eyes started watering with happiness. He laughed and said, "No crying. Tonight is meant to be happy."  
  
She nodded and Dobby popped in with two plates of filet mignon and he put the plates in front of them and left silently, a tear of happiness in one of his eyes. Hermione appeared confused at Dobby's tear, but didn't say anything and just ate her meal with Draco in silence. When they finished, the plates disappeared and they decided to take a little walk on the roof of the castle before enjoying the chocolate and white chocolate covered strawberries that Draco had planned for dessert.  
  
"Draco, thanks for this, everything was wonderful...the meal, the surroundings, this walk. It's all been perfect. Thank you. I needed it," she thanked him, giving him a hug and a kiss. He pulled back and looked into her eyes for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and beginning his little speech.  
  
"Mione, I'm gunna do something now that I've never done before," he said, getting down on one knee and pulling a black velvet box out of his pocket, "Mione, I've liked you since second year and now I have you and I love you more then anything. You mean so much to me and I can't believe I have you for my own. You're the reason my life is the way it is. It's all because of you. My father never liked muggle-borns and he never wanted me to like them either, but he's gone so I can do what I want. You mean everything to me, Mione. I love you, so..Hermione Lynn Granger, will you marry me?" He opened the velvet box to show a ring with a white gold band and a diamond in the center. On each side of the diamond sat a sapphire.  
  
Hermione, who had started crying when he began his speech, nodded and said, "Yes."  
  
He got off the ground and hugged her. He pulled away and put the ring on her finger before kissing her. She kissed him back and a few minutes later they pulled back and went back inside to enjoy their strawberries and to celebrate their engagement.  
  
At midnight, they walked back out onto the roof and kissed, toasting the new year. Hermione smiled as they walked back to their room at 12:30 that night, Draco's arm resting casually around her waist. She looked at her ring, then up at Draco and smiled. I'm going to marry Draco Malfoy, she thought to herself as they entered the common room, smiling like they had never smiled before. 


	11. Engaged to a Malfoy

Chapter 11 - Engaged to a Malfoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any characters that you might not recognize. The rest belongs to J.K. Rowling and her brilliant mind.  
  
a/n: Sorry about the delay on this chapter but my computer hasn't been working for a while and when I got it to work, the internet didn't work, so I couldn't post the chapter. I got my computer and internet working now, so enjoy the chapter and review when you've finished it.  
  
The day after their engagement, Draco and Hermione awoke in Draco's bed, wrapped peacefully in each other's arms. Hermione smiled at him and mumbled something that sounded a little like "Good morning" before climbing out of bed and putting her robe on. She went into the bathroom and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water overtake her senses. Draco smirked to himself and fell back asleep.  
  
After her shower, Hermione walked into her room and dressed in a red shirt, jeans, and socks before drying her hair and putting her shoes on. She climbed through the portrait in her room that led to the Gryffindor common room and was greeted by Ginny, Harry, and Ron. They all had big smiles on their faces and began talking to her as soon as she got into the room.  
  
"I guess you already know," she said with a smile. They eagerly nodded and Ginny grabbed her left hand.  
  
"Oh my god, Mione, it's gorgeous!" she exclaimed, looking at the ring in the light, "Tell me all the details and don't leave anything out."  
  
Hermione and Ginny walked over to the couch by the fire and sat down, Ron and Harry following them. Ron and Harry sighed as Hermione launched into the story of the previous night.  
  
"I barely saw him all day and then he told me we were going out to dinner and get dressed up, so, you know, I did. He took me to the Astronomy Tower and we ate dinner then went onto the roof of the castle to look at the stars. Then he proposed. Oh, you guys, it was so sweet. I loved it. He made everything so beautiful, I couldn't believe he thought of it all," she briefly told them with a sigh.  
  
"Awww! It sounds like it was perfect, Mione," sighed Ginny before lowering her voice so only Hermione could hear, "You'll give me details later, right?"  
  
Hermione nodded and continued talking to her best friends for a while. As they had started talking about quidditch, she sighed and looked at the ring with a smile on her face. She couldn't believe Draco would do something so sweet for her, and now he was all hers. Nothing could come between them now.  
  
"Um, you guys, I'm gunna head back to my common room now. I haven't eaten anything yet and I wanna see Draco," she told them, going through the portrait hole and walking to her room. She knew that she could just go straight to her common room from the Gryffindor one, but she decided to go for a little walk to the kitchens for some coffee and breakfast.  
  
When she reached the kitchens, she tickled the pear and entered. Dobby immediately appeared and hugged her knees.  
  
"Congratulations on your engagement to Master Draco, Miss Hermione," he said.  
  
"Thank you Dobby," she replied.  
  
"Master Draco is here as well, Miss Hermione," he told her and led her to a table where she found Draco, reading the Daily Prophet and eating his breakfast. She walked up next to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek before sitting down.  
  
"Hey Mione," he greeted her after she told Dobby to bring her some French vanilla cappuccino and a blueberry muffin.  
  
"Hi," she replied, smiling.  
  
He took a sip of his orange juice before throwing his paper onto the table. Dobby brought Hermione's food a minute later and picked up the paper before disappearing with a pop. Draco continued eating his breakfast and Hermione began eating her muffin. They sat in a comfortable silence as they ate. A few minutes later, Hermione ordered a cappuccino to go and left with Draco's hand in her own. Together they walked to their common room and sat down on the couch to watch a movie.  
  
"What do you wanna watch, hunn?" Hermione asked him, standing in front of their large selection of DVDs.  
  
"Um......what haven't we watched in a while?" he asked, joining her in front of the DVDs.  
  
"Here's a good one," stated Hermione, after a few minutes. She grabbed School of Rock off of the shelf and put it into the DVD player. (a/n: I know School of Rock isn't out in America on DVD just yet, but in England, things come out earlier then here. That's why they have that movie.) Draco sat down on the couch and Hermione sat next to him, her head leaning on his chest. His arms wrapped around her, she started the movie and began watching it with him.  
  
When the movie ended two hours and however many minutes later, Draco yawned and said, "Wow, that drummer looks like me, right Mione?"  
  
"Mione?" he said again, looking down to find her asleep. As quietly as he could, Draco detangled himself from Hermione and jumped over the back of the couch, so Hermione wouldn't fall off the front of the couch. He walked to the front of the couch and covered Hermione with a blanket. He then turned off the DVD player and went up to his room to listen to music. He put silencing charms up on his room and blasted his new Blink 182 CD.  
  
Down in the common room, Hermione woke up to a knocking on the portrait hole door. She sat up groggily and went to go see who was there.  
  
"Headmaster, Professors? What're you doing here?" she asked when she saw Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape at the entrance to the portrait hole. They stopped their conversation and turned their attention to her.  
  
"Miss Granger, is Mr. Malfoy inside?" asked Dumbledore, walking into the common room.  
  
"Yes, I'll go upstairs and get him for you," she told them, after she had ushered them inside. The light hit her ring and reflected off of it, catching the eyes of the professors. Snape and McGonagall gasped and kept denying all the thoughts in their heads. Dumbledore, however, smiled while his eyes twinkled and looked at the other two.  
  
A few minutes later, Hermione descended the stairs into the common room, followed closely by Draco.  
  
"Hello, professors," he greeted them, sitting down on the couch and pulling Hermione down next to him.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger, as you know, the holidays are ending soon and, as the Heads, you must greet them at the train. Be prepared to do this. Also, you'll be planning a return ball and a Valentine's ball. You have a week to plan the returning ball, and a month and a half to plan the Valentine's ball. Oh, and the prefects and heads must go with each other to these balls, which shouldn't be a problem for you two," Headmaster Dumbledore told them, his blue eyes twinkling.  
  
"Ok, Headmaster," they replied in unison. They started to get up, but Dumbledore motioned for them to sit down again.  
  
"Miss Granger," began Professor Snape, "I thought I saw something before. May I see your left hand please?"  
  
She hesitated for a moment, but held it out for all of them to see. Snape took her hand and looked at the ring finger. When he saw the engagement ring on it, he paled and dropped her hand as if he had been burned. She blushed and took her hand back as McGonagall turned incredibly pale at the sight of the ring.  
  
"Miss Granger, do my eyes deceive me?" asked Snape, a few minutes later, his face still pale as a ghost.  
  
"No sir," she said as Draco wrapped his arms around her. She looked up at him and returned her look to Snape.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy, explain yourself," commanded Snape, a little color returning to his cheeks.  
  
Before Draco could open his mouth, Professor McGonagall stepped in, "Severus, calm down."  
  
"No, Minerva, this is insane. Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger are engaged! I'm outraged."  
  
"Don't jump down their throats like that, Severus. We knew that they were dating this entire time, everyone did, so don't think that this wasn't going to happen."  
  
"Minerva! They've been dating for no more the five or six months. That's not long enough to be engaged," screamed Snape, all of the color now back in his cheeks, "Draco, what would your father say about this?"  
  
"Professor Snape, I personally don't care what my father would say. He's in Azkaban. I don't have to worry about him anymore. I know we've only been together for five months, but I love Hermione, and I always have and always will. She's the best person for me. She helped me become who I am and I wouldn't survive without her," answered Draco. He turned to Hermione and saw tears running down her smiling face. "I meant everything I said, Mione. I love you." She smiled as the tears continued to run down her face. He smiled and kissed her, even in front of the professors.  
  
Dumbledore cleared his throat and the couple pulled away to see McGonagall staring at them in awe, Dumbledore looking at them with the twinkle in his eye, and Snape was looking away, disgusted.  
  
"Are you two quite finished?" Snape asked, glaring at the two of them.  
  
"Yes, sir," they mumbled in unison.  
  
"Ok, well we'll leave you to planning the ball. We'll send in the prefects now," Dumbledore announced, leaving the room with Snape and McGonagall following behind him.  
  
All of a sudden, Snape came walking back into the room. He said, "Draco, if you're father finds out about this, you'll be as good as dead. I heard rumors that he might be getting the Dementor's Kiss in Azkaban but I can't be sure. I'll tell you when I know." With a swish of his robes, he left the two sitting on the couch and headed back to the dungeons.  
  
Hermione and Draco looked at each other, but didn't have a chance to say anything, for the prefects had started walking into the room. Justin and Parvati sat down on one of the couch, with Ginny and Blaise on the couch across from them. Draco and Hermione sat on the couch in the middle of the prefects and sighed.  
  
Hermione began, "Ok, you all know that Dumbledore wanted us to plan a returning ball and a Valentine's ball. We have a week to plan the returning ball so we have to get to work. Any ideas?"  
  
Ginny spoke up, "Why don't we make it a normal ball. Decorations can be for all the houses but we can have one member of each house per table. There can be little tables all around the room, instead of the long tables."  
  
Parvati continued, "Yeah and then we can have gift bags with candy from Honeyduke's. The flowers at each table can be of the domineering color of each of the houses."  
  
Blaise, Justin, and Draco sat back, letting the girls do all the planning. Instead, they talked about quidditch and muggle soccer. About two hours later, the girls had finished all the plans and had gotten started on a large number of them. Justin, Blaise, Parvati, and Ginny left the common room and left for their own common room one corridor down and one floor above. Draco stood up as soon as they left, and snaked his arm around Hermione's waist as they headed upstairs to sleep.  
  
A little less then a week later, Draco and Hermione found themselves, along with the four prefects, standing at the train station in Hogsmeade, waiting for the train to bring everyone back to Hogwarts. Winter Holidays had ended and pretty soon the castle would, once again, be filled with people.  
  
Draco looked around him as he held Hermione close to him to keep her warm. Ginny and Blaise were standing a little ways away from them, talking quietly. Blaise had his arm around Ginny's shoulders and was holding her close to him, keeping her warm as well. A few feet from them stood Parvati and Justin, in the middle of a kiss. Draco turned his head away from them and kissed the top of Hermione's head as the train pulled into the station. Hermione smiled up to him and wrapped her jacket more tightly around her as the students filed off the train.  
  
"Second years and up, to the carriages. Get in quickly and carefully. Come on, let's go. First years, follow Hagrid," Hermione instructed as the prefects and Draco helped her find a carriage for everyone. Once all the students were in a carriage or in a boat with Hagrid, they took off towards the castle. They got there just in time for the welcome back feast.  
  
"Welcome back, students. I hope you all had a great winter break. Tomorrow there will be a returning ball, planned by the heads and prefects. Now, tuck in," Dumbledore greeted them, smiling.  
  
After the feast, Draco and Hermione headed up to their room to listen to music and then sleep. Together, they went into Draco's room, after they changed into their pajamas, and turned on Draco's Blink 182 CD and laid on the bed listening to it. A little while later, they fell asleep together that way.  
  
A/N: another chapter done! yAy! Well review and tell me how you think it is. 


	12. The Returning Ball

Chapter 12 – The Returning Ball  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. None of the characters or places are mine. Anything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling.  
  
A/N: I know, I know. I haven't updated in a while like I said I would, but I'll try to update every Friday. Sound good?  
  
The next morning, Draco awoke to find no one beside him. He looked quizzically at the bed and saw a note on the pillow.  
  
Draco – Went to decorate the Great Hall for the ball tonight. The prefects are with me and everyone else is in Hogsmeade getting clothes for tonight. Come down when you wake up. Love you. -Hermione  
  
He sighed and got out of bed. The clock read 1:27, so he showered and put on a black shirt, jeans, socks, and sneakers before doing his hear and heading down to the Great Hall. When he got there, he saw Ginny and Blaise setting up tables on one side of the room while Justin and Parvati set them up on the other side of the hall. Hermione was in the middle, clearing off the dance floor and setting up the Head table. Draco walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek.  
  
"What do you want me to do?" he asked, holding her in his arms.  
  
"Put up decorations on the walls and put table cloths on the tables when the others are done setting them up. Ginny!" she told him, calling for Ginny and heading over to her. He sighed and started to work.  
  
An hour later, the tables were done, the decorations were put up, and the Great Hall was ready for that night. Hermione, Draco, Ginny, Blaise, Justin, and Parvati all headed to Hogsmeade to pick out dresses and suits. Hermione, Ginny and Parvati all headed to the girl's section of Madame Malkin's and started looking at dresses. Hermione stepped out of the dressing room to show Parvati and Ginny her dress. When the door opened, she stood before them and they gasped. She blushed and twirled around in the gown.  
  
"How does it look?" she asked, smiling at their faces.  
  
"It's perfect," breathed Parvati, looking at the gown in awe, "You have to get it."  
  
"Yeah, Mione, it looks great," agreed Ginny, stepping into the dressing room to try on her own gown. Hermione returned to her dressing room and took off the gown, placing it on the hanger and taking it to the front of the store to pay. She then went back to the girls to see Ginny's dress. After about another half an hour, Ginny and Parvati had found dresses, so the three of them headed to the Three Broomsticks to meet up with the guys.  
  
"How did it go, girls?" Draco asked, kissing Hermione lightly as she slid into the booth next to him.  
  
"It was great," Hermione replied as the girls nodded in agreement, "Did you find a suit?"  
  
"Yes I did. We all did," Draco answered for the others.  
  
"Oh my god!" exclaimed Parvati, looking at her watch, "It's 3:30. The ball's at 7. We have to get ready."  
  
Hermione and Ginny quickly got out of the booth, pulling Draco and Blaise with them, and headed to the train station to catch the train back to Hogwarts. They got there a half an hour later and the girls ran to the Prefect's bathroom to get ready. One at a time, they took a shower, dried off, and wrapped themselves in robes.  
  
"Mione, we're gunna work on you first," announced Ginny, taking out her makeup supplies and adding them to Parvati's. Together they worked on Hermione's makeup and hair for twenty-five minutes. Then Hermione and Ginny worked on Parvati, and Parvati and Hermione worked on Ginny. Once they finished, all three girls got dressed and looked at themselves in the mirror.  
  
"Oh my god, Mione," breathed Ginny, looking at her friend in awe. Parvati had the same look on her face, so Hermione looked in the mirror. She did look pretty good. Her ice blue gown hugged her in all the right places. It was spaghetti strapped and went down to the floor. Her shoes matched it perfectly and were about two inches tall. Her hair was up in a tight bun with two tendrils hanging down, framing her face. Her makeup was done well, and made her look natural, yet sophisticated.  
  
Hermione gasped and turned to her friends. Ginny's hair contrasted well with the emerald green dress that she wore. It also went down to the floor and her shoes gave her a good two and a half inches. Her hair was curled and looked good with her makeup done so naturally, yet beautifully nonetheless. Parvati looked pretty and older in her light purple dress and matching shoes. Her makeup probably looked the best and her hair was half up and half down. They smiled at each other and realized that it was time to meet the guys before the ball.  
  
Ginny descended the stairs to the prefect's common room first, followed by Parvati. Hermione stood back for a second, gathering herself. Blaise and Justin's jaws dropped when they saw their girlfriends, but Draco just smiled politely. All the guys looked great in their suits and ties. Draco, by far, looked the best, as usual. A minute later, Hermione descended the stairs and Draco thought he saw an angel. She looked gorgeous. He smiled and kissed her cheek lightly before offering her arm. She took it and the three couples headed down to the ball.  
  
As the three couples entered the hall, everyone got quiet. Hermione smiled and headed to the Head's table with Draco and the prefects. They sat down and observed their work. Each little table had four seats and a rose on each plate. The roses were the dominant color of each house. One person per house, per table, as Parvati had suggested. Next to the tables sat a little bag filled with all different candies from Honeyduke's. The bags were enchanted so they couldn't be opened until the owner returned to their common room. The decorations around the hall represented all the different houses of the school. They hall and everything in it was made to represent the houses. That had been the general theme.  
  
"Attention everyone. The ball will now begin. Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy, if you'll come to the center of the dance floor to open the dance," announced Dumbledore.  
  
Hermione and Draco rose from their seats and went to the center of the dance floor. Hermione's arms wrapped around Draco's neck, and Draco wrapped his arms around her waist as the music began to play. As the song began to play, Hermione recognized the music and smiled. She whispered, "This is the first song we danced to together." Draco smiled and kissed her as the lyrics began playing.  
  
Yeah....  
  
Oh yes  
  
Ohhh..yeah..  
Can this be true?  
  
Tell me, can this be real?  
  
How can I put into words what I feel?  
  
My life was complete  
  
I thought I was whole  
  
Why do I feel like I'm losing control?  
  
I never thought that love could feel like this  
  
and you've changed my world with just one kiss.  
  
How can it be that right here with me  
  
there's an angel?  
  
It's a miracle...  
Your love is like a river  
  
Peaceful and deep  
  
Your soul is like a secret  
  
That I could never keep  
  
When I look into your eyes  
  
I know that it's true  
  
God must of spent...  
  
A little more time  
  
On you...  
  
(A little more time, yes he did baby)  
In all of creation  
  
All things great and small  
  
You are the one that surpasses them all  
  
More precious than  
  
Any diamond or pearl  
  
They broke the mold  
  
When you came in this world  
  
And I'm trying hard to figure out  
  
Just how I ever did without  
  
The warmth of your smile  
  
The heart of a child  
  
That's deep inside  
  
Leaves me purified  
Your love is like a river  
  
Peaceful and deep (and deep)  
  
Your soul is like a secret  
  
That I could never keep  
  
When I look into your eyes  
  
I know that it's true  
  
God must of spent...  
  
A little more time  
  
On you...  
  
(on you, on you, on you, you....on you, on you, on you, you..) ohhh...  
  
(on you, on you, on you, you....on you, on you, on you, you..) yeah...  
  
Never thought that love could feel like this  
  
and you changed my world with just one kiss.  
  
How can it be that right here with me  
  
There's an angel?  
  
It's a miracle...  
Your love is like a river  
  
Peaceful and deep (peaceful and deep)  
  
Your soul is like a secret  
  
That I could never keep  
  
When I look into your eyes  
  
I know that it's true  
  
God must of spent...  
  
A little more time  
  
On you...  
  
(on you, on you, on you, you..)  
  
God must of spent...  
  
A little more time  
  
on you  
  
(on you, on you..you....you..oooh..yeah)  
  
A little more time  
  
on you...ohhh When the song ended, Draco and Hermione continued dancing. Students poured onto the dance floor in couples, dancing as well. Dumbledore saw Hermione and Draco kiss again and smiled to himself. He turned to McGonagall and Snape, the smile still on his face. McGonagall smiled faintly back, but Snape just sneered. He still wasn't used to the fact that Hermione was going to become Mrs. Draco Malfoy.  
  
A little while later, Hermione and Draco stepped off of the dance floor with the prefects and sat down to eat. Dumbledore announced the pause in the dance for dinner, and everyone sat down. The hall was abuzz with conversation, even though the Slytherins weren't joining in much of it.  
  
After eating, everyone went back out onto the dance floor and danced for hours. Instead of dancing again, Hermione and Draco headed out to the gardens to relax. They sat down on a stone bench and Hermione leaned her head onto Draco's chest and sighed.  
  
"What's wrong, love?" he asked, looking down at her.  
  
"Nothing, sweetie. I'm fine," she said, looking out at the lake. He frowned, but didn't question her anymore. After about twenty minutes of sitting in peace and serenity, Hermione and Draco headed back into the ball and danced together for the rest of the night.  
  
The next morning, Hermione groaned as she rolled over in bed and looked at the clock. It read 9:47. It's too early, she thought to herself, laying back down in the bed and shoving her head into the pillow.  
  
Slowly and stealthily Draco entered the room, under his invisibility cloak, with a pitcher of water in one hand. He smirked to himself, walked over to the bed, and dumped the ice cold water on Hermione. She shrieked and he smirked, trying not to laugh at her. When she didn't see anyone around her, she frowned and grabbed the air, unfortunately for Draco, she got the invisibility cloak as well.  
  
"DRACO MALFOY I HATE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, lunging at him.  
  
He laughed and picked her up and over his shoulder. He carried her to the showers, with her pounding on his back with her fists the entire time. He dropped her in the shower, turned it on, and watched her get soaking wet. At first she was shocked, but then she got an evil grin on her face and pulled Draco in the shower with her. They sat there, in their pajamas, with the shower pouring down on them.  
  
A/N: How did you like the chapter? Review!!! 


	13. Author's Note, please read

A/N:  
  
Ok, I've been getting some reviews about when I'm going to update this story again, and the answer is, whenever I can finish some more chapters and save them to a disk, then put them on this computer. Currently, I'm in the middle of writing chapter 13 I believe it is, and it's on my laptop, where the internet isn't working. As soon as I finish a good two or three chapters, I'll update again. It should be within the next few days, since I don't have to work anymore this summer. Thanks for waiting and not complaining too much. 


	14. A Small Dilemma

Chapter 13 – A Small Dilemma

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. None of the characters or places are mine. Anything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling.

a/n: I know I haven't updated in the next few days when I said I would but my internet is a bitch so bear with me.

Draco moved in to give Hermione a kiss, but she backed away and he ended up kissing the wall. She laughed, turned off the shower, and dried herself off while he sat there, slowly turning red.

"What was that for?" he managed to ask after he had gotten himself out of the shower.

"That was for dropping me in the shower and waking me up with **freezing cold water** this morning," she replied, pushing him out the door of the bathroom so that she could take a proper shower. He frowned and walked into his room, picked up his wand, muttered a quick drying spell, and went to watch Spongebob Squarepants on the TV in the common room. (He had gotten attached to that show during the course of the year.)

Twenty minutes later, Hermione emerged from the bathroom in her robe, hair wet and dripping down her back. She walked into her room, turned on her Yellowcard CD, and began getting dressed. She quickly threw on a lavender shirt and a pair of jeans before drying her hair and putting on some socks. The song, "Ocean Avenue" began playing on the Yellowcard CD, and Hermione jumped on the bed, dancing her heart out. Apparently, the music was blasting a tad loud, because Draco walked into the room and turned off the CD player. Hermione's back was to him, and when she heard the song turn off, she turned around and looked at him, blushing.

"Sorry," she muttered, climbing off the bed and hugging him.

He muttered something inaudible and left the room. She frowned and turned her stereo down before resuming her dancing on the bed. As the end of "Ocean Avenue" played, she heard a tapping sound on her window. Jumping off the bed and nearly tripping, Hermione made her way to the window to let in the snowy white owl she recognized as Hedwig. She took the letter off of the owl's leg and gave her a treat before watching Hedwig fly off again. Hermione made sure she flew away before sitting on the bed and opening the letter from Harry.

"_Hermione –_

_I have some news. Professor Dumbledore came to me an hour ago and told me that Draco's father is supposed to get the Dementor's Kiss tonight at 6. One problem: they can't find him...he's not in his cell and no one knows where he is or how he got out. I wanted to warn you. Stay safe, Mione._

_-Harry_"

Hermione gasped when she read the news and turned off her music before running into Draco's room to tell him. When she got there, however, she saw him reading a letter in his arm chair, a grave look on his face.

"Draco..." she began, walking towards him.

"They can't find him, Mione," he stated, pulling her onto his lap and showing her the letter from Dumbledore.

"I know, hunn, Harry sent me a letter and told me."

"What're we going to do?"

"I don't know, Draco, I don't know."

They sat in silence for a while, thinking over the possibilities, trying to figure out what they would do if Lucius came for a visit. A few minutes later, a knocking was heard on the other side of the portrait hole. Hermione got off of Draco's lap and walked down the stairs, through the common room, and to the portrait hole. She opened it and saw Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape standing in a triangular formation.

"Come in, professors," Hermione said, opening the portrait hole some more for them to walk in.

As the professors sat down on the couches, Draco descended the stairs and sat down with Hermione, across from the professors.

"What do you need, professors?" Draco questioned, looking around at all three of them.

"Well, you both probably know about Draco's father, correct?" began Dumbledore, continuing when he saw Draco and Hermione nod, "well, now that he's on the loose, you, Draco, are probably the first person he's going to come for. If he comes for you, you're to send Miss Granger for help, if possible. If you can't, take this coin and press the buttons on them for help. They're linked to all three of us professors. Once you press the button, we'll feel our coins burn and we'll come to help. Keep them with you at all times and don't lose them."

Hermione and Draco nodded as the professors left. Instead of sitting in silence, Hermione went to turn on a movie. She and Draco sat and watched it, until about halfway through when another knocking was heard on the portrait hole door. Draco stood and answered it, but saw that no one was there. He frowned but shrugged it off and turned around, met with an awful sight that set his stomach churning.

A/N: cliffhanger...I'm so cruel. Lol Read and Review.


	15. A Visit from Lucius

Chapter 14 – A Visit from Lucius

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. None of the characters or places are mine. Anything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Two chapters in one day. Lucky you. Enjoy, then review.

What stood before him was Lucius Malfoy, an evil grin on his face, standing with Hermione in his arms, his wand to her temple. As a result of being in Azkaban, he looked dirty and gross, his jail suit ripped in different places, his hair greasy and knotted, his face scruffy and unshaven.

"Draco," his father greeted him with a sneer.

"Father," was his reply, with every ounce of disgust that he could muster, pressing the button on the coin that he had been given by Dumbledore less then two hours beforehand.

"I see you've made friends with a Mudblood....too good of friends judging by the rather large ring on her finger. When did this happen, son?" Lucius asked Draco, holding up Hermione's hand and letting the ring on her finger hit the light.

"It's nothing, Father, as she's engaged to the Weasel," he said with a sneer matching his father's, "as if I, a Malfoy, would fall in love with a Mudblood."

The look on Hermione's face once he uttered those words was one filled with extreme hurt and disappointment. She managed to blink back tears and appear tougher then she really felt in front of Lucius and Draco. She put on the toughest face she could and acted like Draco's words had no impact on her at all.

"Very well, Draco, then it should be easy for you to torture her, am I correct?" Lucius asked him with a smirk, "but maybe I should do it, just to save time."

"Is it truly necessary to torture her? I mean, there's so many others in this school that you could torture, why her?" Draco asked, trying to convince his father to leave Hermione alone, but to no avail.

"I know son, but I plan on torturing them as well as this Mudblood," Lucius replied, placing Hermione in between the both of them and locking her legs and feet together, "Crucio."

A jet of blue light left his wand and hit Hermione with a great impact. The pain was unbearable but Hermione knew she had to withstand it, because she knew that, despite Lucius's escape, she would marry Draco in the end. Once the spell wore off, she fainted to the floor from the pain. The last thing she saw was Draco preparing to fight his father as the professors barged through the door.

"Mr. Malfoy, I need to ask you to calm down. Miss Granger will awaken in time, just wait," Madame Pomfrey told Draco as he paced the hospital wing in front of Hermione's bed, a week later.

He nodded in response but didn't stop pacing. He was worried sick about her and didn't think she was going to wake up. He had been pacing every day for a week now and Hermione still had yet to awaken. He didn't like this, he didn't like it at all.

_If she doesn't awaken from this, I swear to Merlin that I'll kill Lucius_, he thought to himself, looking at Hermione for a moment before continuing his pacing. It was growing late, and Harry and Ron had left a couple of hours before. They had been there every day for the past week, but only stayed for a few hours, at the most. Draco, however, spent the night most nights, and, if he didn't, he could hardly sleep. He spent every free moment he had there and personally, he was annoying Madame Pomfrey quite a bit.

As Draco was pacing, he saw his love stir out of the corner of his eye. He stopped pacing and watched her, his eyes showing signs of hope. A minute or so later, her eyes fluttered open and she looked around. Her eyes rested on Draco and began to fill with tears at the sight of him and the memory of the words he has spoken to his father a week before.

"Draco," she whispered.

"Mione, you're awake!" he exclaimed, rushing over to her and giving her the biggest hug he could without hurting her.

She hugged him in return and wiped her eyes with a tissue that she got off of the nightstand next to her hospital bed.

"Draco, you didn't mean what you said, did you?" she asked softly, her eyes, once again, filling with tears.

"Of course not, Mione. I had to say something, or else my father wouldn't have stopped at just torturing you, he would've gone so far as to kill you. If I had let that happen, I wouldn't be able to live with myself," he told her, pulling her into another hug.

"Oh Draco," she cried, wrapping her arms around him and crying into his shoulder.

After she had calmed down a bit, she asked, "whatever happened to Lucius anyway?"

"Well, once I saw him standing there with his wand to your head, I pressed the button on the coin Dumbledore gave me, and waited for them to come. Once you fainted, I was preparing to take on my father. As I was going to say a curse, Snape, McGonagall, and Dumbledore barged in with Fudge and some Dementors. They performed the kiss on my father right then and there, which was a scary thing to see. They then took him away and brought you down here," he told her, not leaving out anything.

"How long have I been here?" she asked, watching him.

"A week."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you've been sleeping the entire time though."

She nodded and lay back down on her pillow. At that moment, Madame Pomfrey rushed in and checked on her, making sure she was alright and able to leave as soon as possible.

"You look like you're back to normal, Miss Granger. You may leave as soon as you change," she told her, smiling at Hermione and going back into her office.

"Draco, where are my clothes?" Hermione asked him, looking around.

He pulled out a pair of jeans and a tank top, plus a bra and underwear for her, out of his bag and handed them to her. She slowly got out of bed and walked to the bathroom to change, stretching her sleepy muscles along the way. Once she got back, fully clothed and out of the hospital gown, Madame Pomfrey let her and Draco leave.

"Dinner is just beginning, so head down there now," she told them, walking out of the door ahead of the happy couple.

Hermione gave Draco a quick kiss and rushed out of the hospital wing with him, her stomach suddenly feeling very empty.

Once they got back to the dining hall, they sat down at the table and put food on their plates. They ate quickly and went back to their common room. Hermione showered and put her pajamas on, then joined Draco in the common room, where he was getting ready for their Prefect meeting.

When Ginny walked into the room a few minutes later, she shrieked and ran over to Hermione, engulfing her in a hug.

"Mione!! You're finally awake!"

"Gin, I can't breathe."

"Sorry, I'm just happy you're awake. All of us were worried sick, even Blaise."

"Thanks, Gin."

During the prefect meeting, they talked about different ideas for the Valentine's Day ball. They knew they had time, but they were still excited. At least the girls were anyway. Once the meeting ended, the Prefects left and Hermione and Draco laid down on the couch and watched the glow of the fire in the fireplace. A few minutes later, Draco felt Hermione's breathing become even and let sleep overcome him as well.

A/N: how was it? Read and review, please.


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